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National Network News--

----On Rev. Jackson----
The Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. announced that he will attend, speak and actively participate in the Rainbow/PUSH Wall Street Project's 4th Annual Conference in New York. Robert Pittman, co-Chief Operating Officer of AOL Time Warner, will be the opening keynote speaker at the conference and he will speak at 9 am on Wednesday, January 24th, 2001 during the conference. The conference has a record number of corporate sponsors, with 54 sponsors this year. The conference schedule and online registration are available on the web at www.thewallstreetproject.org . The conference will be held at the Sheraton Hotel and Towers at 811 Seventh Avenue in Manhattan from Tuesday, January 23rd through Friday, January 26, 2001.

---An Opportunity Agenda for President Bush---
National Urban League President Hugh B. Price laid out the League's "Opportunity Agenda", an ambitious plan President-elect George W. Bush should follow upon assuming office in order to close the opportunity gaps that exist between African Americans and white Americans. Following are highlights of the plan, which covers the areas of education, employment, poverty, technology, homeownership, entrepreneurship, criminal justice, and the elections process: (1) The Academic Achievement Gap--Launch a campaign to slash in half the number of Black, Latino and Native American fourth-graders who score below basic levels in reading. (2) The Employment Gap--Attack Black unemployment by championing fiscal and monetary policies that avert recession and promote continued job growth (3) Poverty Gap--Increase the minimum wage to at least $6.15 per hour. (4) The Digital Divide/Technology Gap--Accelerate the E-rate Initiative to wire schools and libraries in low-income communities. (5) Home Ownership Gap--Develop home ownership initiatives aimed at accelerating homeownership in the black community and eradicating the 27-point homeownership gap that exists between blacks and whites. (6) Entrepreneurship Gap--Use federal legislation and leverage to promote the creation and expansion of minority firms. (7) Criminal Justice Gap--Instruct the Attorney General to rectify blatant patterns of racism at every level of the criminal justice system. (8) Make elections state-of-the-art and direct the Attorney General to conduct a thorough and vigorous investigation of the local election processes that combined to suppress the Black vote and resulted in the post-election debacle in Florida, and other parts of the nation.

---Hispanic Business Leaders Support Senator Ashcroft's Nomination---
The Board of Directors of the Hispanic Business Roundtable (HBR) announced its support for the nomination of Senator John Ashcroft as the next U.S. Attorney General. HBR's Board also urged Senators to ignore false and vicious personal attacks against Senator Ashcroft. Senator Ashcroft is a superb public servant with an impeccable record of accomplishments," said HBR President Mario Rodriguez, CEO of Jonathan Grey & Associates in San Clemente, California. "John Ashcroft is uniquely qualified for the position of Attorney General. He is a man who knows and respects the law," said HBR Vice President Jaime Ramon, partner at Locke Liddell & Sapp in Dallas, Texas. The Hispanic Business Roundtable is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization based in Washington, D.C. HBR was established in 1995 to address policy issues that directly affect the well-being of Hispanics in the U.S. The Roundtable's agenda is to develop and promote policies that will enhance overall business, economic and social development of Hispanics. For more information on the Hispanic Business Roundtable, please visit our website at www.hbrt.org.

---Black Leadership Forum Statement on the Nomination of John Ashcroft---Dr. Yvonne Scruggs-Leftwich, executive director of the Black Leadership Forum, Inc., made the following statement on the nomination of John Ashcroft: "John Ashcroft is the best example which I have seen lately of what African Americans usually mean when they refer to someone as a "good ole boy." He is a white male, who has acted in bigoted or racist ways, when he assumed that he could act out his private values in public without penalty."

---Nation's Largest Minority-Owned Systems Integrator ---
GlobalView Technologies, LLC, a Detroit-based technology company, announced the completion of its previously announced acquisition of Clover Technologies, Inc. from SBC Communications Inc., creating the nation's largest Minority Business Enterprise involved in technical integration of voice, data and video systems. "Clover is a national leader in our industry. It is exciting to combine Clover's capacity with GlobalView's market reach. This expands our position and reputation as a market leader committed to providing our customers with long-term value through single source capability," stated Hiram E. Jackson, CEO of both Clover and GlobalView.

---Essence Awards 2001---
Producers of The Essence Awards 2001 announced that comedian-actors Steve Harvey and D.L. Hughley will co-host the star-studded televised celebration, with special appearances by Bernie Mac and Cedric the Entertainer, comic colleagues in the movie "The Original Kings of Comedy." First held in 1987, The Essence Awards was created to highlight the contributions of preeminent African-American community leaders and celebrities and has become one of the country's top awards shows. This year's event will be taped on Friday, April 27, at the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City and will air as a prime-time special on FOX shortly thereafter. Tickets for The Essence Awards 2001 can be purchased by calling Ticketmaster at 212-307-7171, 201-507-8900, 516-888-9000 or 914-454-3388. Tickets can also be purchased by calling the Madison Square Garden box office directly at 212-465-MSG1.

---National African American Parent Involvement Day, Feb. 12 ---
The Sixth Annual NAAPID (National African American Parent Involvement Day) will take place on Monday, February 12, 2001 across the nation. NAAPID is a nonprofit volunteer, national initiative inspired by the participation of Joseph Dulin, principal of Ann Arbor's (MI) Roberto Clemente Student Development Center, in the Million Man March in Washington, D.C. on October 16, 1995. After hearing the eloquent and provocative speech of Ayinde Jean-Baptiste, a 14-year old young man, Dulin accepted the challenge to go back to his community and do more. Thus, NAAPID was founded as a vehicle to promote parent involvement toward a goal of educational excellence for students. Although all parents are encouraged to participate in NAAPID, it is specifically targeted to parents of children of African American descent. Moreover, NAAPID is a long-term, ongoing effort, which is celebrated annually on the second Monday during Black History Month and is aimed at creating and maintaining effective parent-school-community partnerships by thousands of parents and family members visiting their children in schools across the nation. This year, it is anticipated that even more parents will visit their children in schools throughout the nation and in some foreign countries. This promises to be the largest gathering of African American parents ever taking their children to school/visiting their children in school for NAAPID on Monday, February 12, 2001.

----Hair in Detroit ----
Hair -- a symbol of beauty, social status, religious affiliation and political stance, as well as an object of pride, fascination and desire -- will be the subject of an exhibition that explores the impact and importance of this "crowning glory" in African society. The exhibition "Hair in African Art and Culture" will open at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History on February 8, 2001 and run through April 15, 2001. Comprised of more than 170 photographs, hair adornments and sculptures, this exhibition explores the countless ways in which hair plays an integral and important role in every level of African life and culture. For more information, call 313-494-5800, extension 0 or visit the museum's website at www.maah-detroit.org .

---Remember Madam C.J. Walker---
Join the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History for a lecture by Author A'Lelia Perry Bundles about the life and legacy of her famous great-great-grandmother, Madam C.J. Walker -- entrepreneur, hair-care industry pioneer, social activist, philanthropist and the country's first African American millionaire. The lecture will take place in the Museum's General Motors Theater on Saturday, January 27, 2001 at 1 p.m. Immediately following the presentation, Bundles will sign copies of her new book, "On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C. J. Walker," in the Museum's Ford Freedom Rotunda at 2 p.m. The cost is free with Museum admission. In her book, "On Her Own Ground", which will officially be released in February, Bundles reveals secrets, dispels myths and promotes the philanthropic spirit and entrepreneurial genius of Madam Walker. Madam Walker was born as Sarah Breedlove in Delta, Louisiana in 1867. According to Bundles, she was "orphaned at 7, married at 14, a mother at 17, widowed at 20." She was working as a washerwoman when the hair scalp formula that would make her wealthy came to her in a dream. In 1906, she married her third husband, changed her name and founded her company

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